Happy 4th birthday!! I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that you are actually four years old. A friend told me once that the days are long and the years are short, and already I'm realizing how true that statement is.
A few things about you: You still love Thomas the Tank Engine, and especially love all the tracks and trains you have accumulated. You also love trucks, stickers, Mickey Mouse, books, and playing outside.
You LOVE to cook and bake! I'm so proud of how well you do. You crack eggs by yourself, are learning to measure ingredients, and follow directions very carefully. I have a feeling you will be a very creative chef someday.
This year you started school two days a week. I'm so proud of how quickly you adapted to your new schedule. Your teachers, Miss Jennifer and Miss Donna, adore you, and you love them as well. The first couple days, I had a harder time with it than you did, but now I appreciate the extra time to get work done, and you love all your new friends (although I'm almost always waiting in the parking lot a few minutes before your school day ends, because I miss you so much).
You still love spending time with Oma, Poppy, Gran Jan, Aunt Tracy and Daniel. We've been to Florida a couple times to see Gran Jan, and you often ask when we're going back to the condo again. You sure do love the water and the sand!
You also LOVE going to church, and have made so many wonderful friends, young and not-so-young, at our church. A few of the grown-ups you love to hang out with are Aunt Amanda, Mr. Steve and Miss Joyce. Mr. Daniel and Miss Denise and Kathryn, Mr. Phil, Mr. Will and Miss Alice, Miss Blythe and Mr. Derek, and Pastor Hunter, and there are many, many more. Your daddy and I often remark at how fortunate you are to have so many people love you, but then again, you're pretty easy to love!
Speaking of Mr. Steve and Miss Joyce, you started having sleepovers at their house a couple times. I really miss you when you're gone, but I know it's good for you to gain some independence, and I'm so grateful you have so many people investing in your life.
You are an AMAZING traveler! Every time we drive to PA to see my family, you sit in the car for all 750+ miles like a champ. We've started making the drive in one day, because you handle it so well, even without a fancy DVD player or anything. You're just content to sit, play with your toys, talk to mommy and daddy, and read your books. Of course, all the snacks we pack probably don't hurt either.
You love your time in PA, especially spending time with Aunt Dawn and Uncle Mike and Hunter. They love you a lot, and I love seeing them love you (even if you do get spoiled a bit). I look forward to the day when we can spend more time with them.
You have an incredibly strong will that often takes me by surprise. I remind myself that it's a good thing, but I've really had to learn how to respond to you, not as a baby or a toddler, but as a little boy who has his own wants and desires, even if you're still learning how to express them. Parenting has kept me on my knees in prayer more than any other season of my life, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
You also have a very, very tender heart. Even when you've done something wrong, it doesn't take long for your heart to be broken by your actions. Often you'll come to me, looking serious, and say, "Mommy, I am so, so sorry I wasn't a good listener." You love to make us happy, and you hate when we tell you we're disappointed.
I had hoped that your sister would be here by your birthday, but unfortunately, she's still in India. But you talk about her often, and tell friends and strangers alike that you have a sister in India. Hopefully soon we will be able to go get her. You keep telling me that you are going to hold her and take care of her, so I have a feeling you're going to be a great big brother.
I will never be able to tell you how much I love you. I didn't know this kind of love was possible until I had you, and my love keeps growing and growing. Even on our more difficult days, my heart still feels like it's going to burst with love for you.
Be patient with me, little boy. I'm still learning how to be a good mommy, and I imagine I will keep learning for the rest of my days. But I love you fiercely, and feel so incredibly fortunate that God entrusted me to be your mommy.
I love you the mostest, John Reagan Patterson Thompson. Happy birthday, sweet boy.
Love,
Mommy
